Sports
Where does Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson rank on our list of The 40 Most Influential People In Cleveland Sports?
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson ranks 14th on The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports, our ranking of the people who currently wield the most influence over Cleveland’s sports happiness.
In this series, we are picking the top 40 athletes, front office personnel, owners, and even those who work on the periphery of sports, to see who does the most to shape the happiness of Cleveland sports fans.
The 40 Most Influential: See how we are determining the Top 40 and the full list so far.
Next up, the coach entrusted with Cleveland’s basketball future.
No. 14. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson
Trade a core player? Sign a key free agent? Nope, the Cavs’ biggest change this offseason came on the bench, which makes new coach Kenny Atkinson the 14th-most influential Cleveland sports figure over the next 12 months.
It is now Atkinson’s job to decipher the best way to deploy both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, two talented big men with overlapping skill sets, together (or at least, on the same team). Atkinson, who is known for his player development background, vowed during his introductory press conference to create more on-ball opportunities for Mobley, who signed a max rookie extension this offseason. But Atkinson also helped develop Allen into the productive player he has become during their time together in Brooklyn. Is it possible to get the most out of both bigs simultaneously?
The Cavs are paying Atkinson to find out.
They’ve also earmarked some of that money for helping Darius Garland rediscover his All-Star form, which Garland could not find consistently during the 2023-24 season, and particularly not during the 2024 playoffs. Whatever Cleveland’s “next step” in development is, it must include a second scorer who can match – or at least supplement – Donovan Mitchell’s playoff performance on a regular basis. Amid offseason trade request rumors, Cleveland is hoping that Garland can still be that player after working with Atkinson.
Sounds like a lot of trust in the new coach, aka the only significant offseason addition. The difference between last year’s Cavs and this year’s Cavs will be colored by Atkinson, good or bad.
And to a fan base hungry for more, that means their new coach will also color their mood rings next season.
The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports (so far):
- No. 40: Sherrone Moore, Michigan football coach
- No. 39: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens coach
- No. 38: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher
- No. 37: Jameis Winston, Browns quarterback
- No. 36: Will Howard, Ohio State quarterback
- No. 35: Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
- No. 34: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers coach.
- No. 33: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.
- No. 32: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end
- No. 31: Tom Hamilton, Guardians radio announcer.
- No. 30: Jim Donovan, former Browns radio voice.
- No. 29: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs quarterback.
- No. 28: Lamar Jackson, Ravens quarterback.
- No. 27: LeBron James, Lakers forward.
- No. 26: Denzel Ward, Browns cornerback
- No. 25: Josh Naylor, Guardians first baseman
- No. 24 Steven Kwan, Guardians outfielder
- No. 23: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians closer
- No. 22: Jarrett Allen, Cavs center
- No. 21: Evan Mobley, Cavs big man
- No. 20: Amari Cooper, Browns wide receiver
- No. 19: Darius Garland, Cavs guard
- No. 18: Jedrick Wills Jr., Browns tackle
- No. 17: Dan Gilbert, Cavs owner
- No. 16: Paul Dolan, Guardians owner
- No. 15: Stephen Vogt, Guardians manager
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